Automatic dishwashers are modern day devices used to alleviate the burden of cleaning dishes, glasses, pots and pans and associated eating utensils. Manual dish washing typically includes the step of drying the washed items immediately after cleaning by use of a towel. An automatic dishwasher raises the temperature within the dishwasher compartment after a cleaning cycle for the purpose of evaporating the moisture on the dishes.
For instance, a common dishwasher utilizes a resistive heating element which is energized during a drying cycle. As the element becomes hot, air circulation forms by convection causing air to flow upward through the wash chamber. The hot humid air is allowed to escape by vents located near the top of the wash chamber. Convection allows cool air to be drawn into the washing chamber, typically from a lower vent, allowing the circulation which assists in the drying cycle.
Another type of dishwasher employs a forced air circulation system. A blower fan is positioned external to the wash chamber which forces air into the chamber to expedite the natural convection process of expelling moisture laden air for enhancing the drying cycle. Variations to the air circulation in dishwashers are also well known in the art such as passing air downwardly through the wash chamber during drying to oppose the natural convection currents for the purpose of enhancing the drying cycle.
A problem with dishwashers to which this invention addresses, is that despite the convenience and efficiency of dishwashers the drying cycle requires outside air to be drawn into the washing chamber. The result is contamination of the dishes. For example, to take advantage of the natural convection process most dishwashers have an air intake located as close to the floor as possible. Typically the air intake is hidden behind a panel beneath the washing chamber. These intake openings allow large particles such as dirt, hair, lint, bugs, and so forth to enter the dishwasher compartment. Every home owner who has moved a refrigerator, clothes washing machine, or clothes dryer is well aware of the amount of dirt that collects beneath the device. Such an area has limited ventilation allowing a moisture enriched environment which assists in the trappage of airborne particles. Further, while a refrigerator, clothes washer, or clothes dryer may be moved allowing a homeowner to clean behind the unit, such is not the case with a dishwasher which is secured to the cabinetry and designed not to be moved. For this reason, a dishwasher air intake located in an environment that can trap particles will easily draw such debris into the dishwasher. This is dangerous for a person having health related problems. Airborne particles may cause an asthma attack while bacterial spores may cause an allergic reaction or result in stomach viruses. Unbeknown to the general consumer, the temperatures within a dishwasher system are not sufficient to allow for disinfection as a dishwasher does not operate as an autoclave. Even if a dishwasher could be designed to spray scalding water throughout the unit, the drying cycle may counteract any disinfection upon the introduction of foreign matter during the drying cycle. The drying cycle does not raise the temperature in a wash chamber to a point of killing the bacteria as the purpose of the drying cycle is to remove moisture. The warm moist environment will actually enhance the bacteria growth on the dishes. The bacteria may be consumed by an individual should the food be mixed over live bacteria spores.
Bacteria range in the size from 0.4 to 5 microns and can breed beneath the dishwasher. A conventional air ventilation system draws the air from the floor which operates as a breeding ground for the bacteria allowing the bacteria to be sloughed off into the ventilation system. Viruses are much smaller, ranging in size from approximately 0.003 to 0.06 microns and can be easily drawn into the dishwasher by convection.
While the use of filters for treating air is known in the art, the use of a filter for dishwashers is not known. Furthermore, a filter that is not positioned correctly may operate as an organism amplifier. It is not uncommon to find an improperly placed filter on a furnace that is wet when no other water is apparent, the moisture content being the advent of bacteria slime. Even if filters are changed regularly it is not uncommon to find poorly placed filters filled with penicillium spores. If the filter is hard to replace, the spores may be released into a ventilation system defeating the purpose of the filter.
Thus, what is lacking in the art is an affordable air treatment system for use with a conventional dishwasher capable of reducing or eliminating airborne debris and further providing a means for converting a conventional dishwasher into a germicidal free enclosure.